This invention concerns a separator device for bars. To be more exact, this invention concerns a device to separate bars, such as rolled bars, tubes or other like elongated elements, in motion along a conveyor.
Hereinafter the word "bars" shall be used to mean, more broadly, all these types of products.
Various types of devices to separate bars are known. For instance, DE-B-1.235.218 discloses a separator device with rotary panels, such device separating the bars from one another with a progressive action. The panels rotate in a plane substantially parallel to the bars and perform the separation with a wedge-wise action. The progressive nature of the action is due to the fact that the various panels engage a bar momentarily separated from the rest of the bundle, one bar being engaged at a time, starting from one end.
The bars thus separated are delivered in bundles to a conveyor belt.
FR-A-1.407.284 discloses a device to separate bars which is provided with toothed wheels, which are all positioned coaxial to each other on an axis substantially parallel to the lengthwise development of the bars and horizontal in this case. In this way all the toothed wheels engage the bar momentarily engaged, at one and the same time, such bar having of necessity to be positioned already parallel to the axis of rotation of the toothed wheels. There is therefore no progressive separation action. The bars are united at their ends in bundles and sent to a discharge line.
FR-A-2.246.477 discloses a device to distribute bars with engagement of the bars and withdrawal thereof, one at a time, from a store or reserve, by means of an arm provided with reciprocating motion. The bars are sent to a vertical corridor cooperating with star-shaped discharge means.
The present invention has the particular, but not restrictive, purpose of separating the bars after they have been counted by a counter device.
For instance, it is known that in the field of rolled bars such bars are counted by automatic counter means before going forward to be bound in bundles.
The bars are counted, for instance, at one of their ends, and such end actuates counter means of a mechanical, magnetic, electronic or optical type or other equivalent means.
Such bars may be variously entangled or piled up along the conveyor which takes them for the counting operation, and also downstream from the counter means.